NADA Blue book values.

[rudylitts]

I was wondering how much the NADA values should be taken into account when buying an RV? I am looking hard at a 2000 Winnebago Adventurer 30v. The low retail on NADA is $31,000. I have negotiated $25,000 with a brand new set of tires put on.

I will be the third owner and there is a year left on the extended warranty which I like a lot. The coach appears to be in good shape, all appliances work, the brakes are good and the interior is pretty good. Am I in the ballpark here, price-wise?? Any advice would be appreciated. This is a big investment for me and I'd be very interested to hear peoples thoughts. Thank you!!

[frankdamp]

It all depends on what you counted in the "extras". NADA doesn't take into account what is standard as built and so, by adding in the "extras" thet really weren't extra you can increase the estimated resale value by 35-40 percent. As examples, a furnace is an extra, as are the stove and water heater!

That said, I think you're getting a reasonable deal. In July, we bought the rig in my signature. It had <12,000 miles and a whole stack of extras. It needed tires (they were the originals) and the living room slide topper was shot.

The sellers were the original owners from new and the lady was a neatnik. The guy was paranoid about black tank odors. As a result, the interior is spotless - could be a year old and I've got enough clever gadgets to keep the black tank clean to last a lifetime.

Taking a realistic NADA number, retail was estimated at about $44,000. They had it advertised at $36,900, which was the balance on their loan. I didn't bother to haggle. They'd hawked it round a few dealers, as an outright sale, and the best offer they got was $23,000! They were giving up RVing because of medical problems.

They seemed happy with the price and so were we. So far, we're very pleased with it.

[rudylitts]

Thanks Frank! I actually didn't put in ANY extras when using NADA just the mileage. Low retail was $31,000 and Average retail was $37,000. I hope its a reasonable deal. The owner is going to put on new Goodyear tires for me as well. I hope this RV gets some great use and doesn't end up in the back yard rotting alongside my boat..lol. Thanks all the best.

[frankdamp]

It sounds like a very good deal, Rudy. Make an effort to use it, even if it's just fror 3 or 4 day trips. We've made three trips of Sunday through Wednesday since we got our Georgetown. We do Sunday -Wednesday to avoid the working folk who overrun the CGs at the weekends. They've gone home by the time we get there on Sunday afternoon. Sometines we'll stay through Thursday night. While schools are out, spaces can be hard to find, even on the Suinday night start, as Momma and the kids stay on while Dad goes back to work.

We set out for a 10-day rip to the Oregon coast two weeks ago. After a combination of an injury accident to me while getting out of the driver's door over the front wheel, and crummy weather (forecast to be lke that for a week) after we'd got to Lincoln City, we bagged it after a week and headed home.

The rig will be in a local shop next week for replacement of the slide toppers and a repair to the upper seal on the living room slide. After that, I think it's time to winterize and park it until the spring. Since we can park it at home, it may get pressed into service as an extension living area when the family come to visit at Thanksgiving.

[Seajay]

Rudy, Please do this before you buy. take the coach to a mechanic you trust and have him check the engine, tranny and the running gear under the coach. These are ''Big ticket items'' and the easiest to overlook because they are under the coach.
Motor home camping is some of the most fun you can have with your clothes on and you will meet the nicest people and see the most wonderful things you have never imagined . One more piece of advise. JOIN AN UNLIMITED USAGE ROAD SERVICE GROUP. Eventually you are going to have a flat, run out of gas, get locked out of your own coach and someday it will have to be towed for repairs. I have Allstate Premium plan and I would not leave home without it.
Be safe on the road ....

ALL THE FREEDOMS YOU HAVE WERE EARNED BY A VETERAN

[rudylitts]

Thanks Seajay, I will definitely take your advice and get it thoroughly checked out.

[Dave and Jaime]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudylitts I was wondering how much the NADA values should be taken into account when buying an RV? I am looking hard at a 2000 Winnebago Adventurer 30v. The low retail on NADA is $31,000. I have negotiated $25,000 with a brand new set of tires put on. I will be the third owner and there is a year left on the extended warranty which I like a lot. The coach appears to be in good shape, all appliances work, the brakes are good and the interior is pretty good. Am I in the ballpark here, price-wise?? Any advice would be appreciated. This is a big investment for me and I'd be very interested to hear peoples thoughts. Thank you!!

be sure you are looking at the right model in NADA. Is it an adventurer 32V or a Minnie Winnie 30V? I don't see an adventurer 30v in the listings. If it is a Minnie Winnie 30v, the low retail is around $23K, not $31K, according to NADA.

[rudylitts]

Its the Adventurer 32V. Thanks! A typo error by me.

[WOODYDEL]

Well, I'd like to believe the NADA RV prices but for me I have some doubt.

We bought our MH in December of 2008. It is a 2007 model.

The price we paid then and the price NADA claims for its worth now, even on the low side, are way off from each other. Were I to sell it today, I could mark it up 65% to reach the average retail value. That's right, 1.65 times the price we paid. It's in absolutely perfect stock condition. Either I'm the world's greatest at buying a bargain or the NADA values are wrong.

[Gary RVRoamer]

NADA RV values in the online book are merely average depreciation values for retail sales. No actual dealer sales data is used to validate the figures, not are they adjusted by region or zip code like car values.

Popular models are often worth more than the NADA RV average. Can't say I've run into many that were less, though, but the recent depressed RV market has made for some real bargains. Especially if bought in a private sale or as a re-po.

[J Walker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WOODYDEL Well, I'd like to believe the NADA RV prices but for me I have some doubt. We bought our MH in December of 2008. It is a 2007 model. The price we paid then and the price NADA claims for its worth now, even on the low side, are way off from each other. Were I to sell it today, I could mark it up 65% to reach the average retail value. That's right, 1.65 times the price we paid. It's in absolutely perfect stock condition. Either I'm the world's greatest at buying a bargain or the NADA values are wrong.

I have read that the prices of used MHs are going up due to lack of new ones on th market.

[Gary RVRoamer]

That was true last year, but there is more new production available now. I still hear there is more demand for used rather than new, though.

[scotts_rv]

Rudylitts, I think you have negotiated a great deal! Late last year I was able to sell my Winnie Minnie for 2k over Nada retail (nothing but mileage taken into account) and a month later purchased my current rv for 4k under so I felt I did OK. I saw a few great bargains while shopping but they weren't what I wanted. Also it seems that there is always more inventory and better deals in the southern states such as Florida, Texas and Calif. In fact a local dealer keeps bringing up repos from Cal. and is selling them on Craigslist here in Washington.

I believe since the recession people have become more cost conscious and have been buying more used. I personally cannot see buying new when I can buy a 5-6 year old RV with 10-15k miles for half of a new one.

-Scott

[Wanabee FTer]

What I have found is the used RV market in the $20,000 to $30,000 range is very hot for a clean 30' plus MH with a slide. We looked at quite a few but got there too late to get the good deals. We eventually got lucky and found one we love. I still see the same overpriced junk is out there from when we first started looking. I like Scott's idea of buying in CA and selling in another state. Maybe when we're ready to upgrade I will run an ad in a rustbelt state for a clean CA RV with no rust!